Arthur Darvill thinks he only won his latest part, in drama Broadchurch, thanks to being in Doctor Who.

While he was playing Rory Williams, boyfriend and later husband of Amy Pond in the BBC sci-fi series, one of its most acclaimed writers, Chris Chibnall, came to him to say "I've written you a part in a new TV series".

He was talking about Broadchurch in which Darvill plays the local vicar of this fictitious seaside town.

Broadchurch begins with the discovery of youngster Danny Latimer's body at the bottom of cliffs on the idyllic Dorset coast. Was it an accident, or an act of murder? One mysterious local seems to know more than they're letting on, but it's up to two mismatched police officers – one local, the other an outsider – to figure out what happened.

Darvill was hand-picked to play a vicar whose church becomes the gathering point for traumatised members of the tight-knit community.

The cast also includes Andrew Buchan, Jodie Whittaker, Vicky McClure and Pauline Quirke. Also joining Darvill are fellow Dr Who luminaries Olivia Colman and David Tennant,who play members of the police team.

SATURDAY The Cube (ITV, 8.15pm). Phillip Schofield returns with another crop of contestants keen to beat the baffling Perspex box. First up, firefighter Jason and competitive swimmer Michelle. As usual the pot to be won is a whopping £250,000.

SUNDAY Meteor Strike: Fireball from Space (Channel 4, 8pm). Last month, a double-decker sized rock travelling more than 40,000 miles an hour crashed into Russia's Ural mountains. It caught the imaginations of many, not least TV crews who have been rushing to make shows like this.

MONDAY SuperScrimpers (Channel 4, 8.30pm). Mrs Moneypenny returns once more to get to the root of the nation's money worries and advise us how to go about cutting costs.

TUESDAY Dallas (Five, 10.55pm). It's the end of an era as we say farewell to TV's greatest bad guy, JR Ewing. Larry Hagman makes his final appearance in the show that made him a small screen icon.

WEDNESDAY Food Glorious Food (ITV, 8pm). This week Carol Vorderman and the team sample the culinary delights of Devon. This week's hopefuls include a father and son team of crab fishermen, a pub landlord and one of the oldest pastry crimpers in the area.

THURSDAY How to Get to Heaven with the Hutterites (BBC2, 9pm). The Hutterites are a group of people who live in the remote Canadian prairies, leading a life they believe is ordained by God. However, this documentary focuses on one young man's attempt to run away.

A Fish Called Wanda (Monday, BBC4, 9pm). Made in 1988 but still worth a look is this delicious comedy starring Kevin Kline, Jamie Lee Curtis and our very own Monty Python icons John Cleese and Michael Palin. At the core of the plot is a bid by a couple of crooks to find a stash of gems.

Emmerdale (Tuesday, ITV1, 7pm). Poor old Brenda, she's in a terrible state. Diagnosed with a brain tumour she decides to spare the bloke she loves – Bob – any anguish. The only way to do that, she concludes, is to dump him, thereby avoiding having to tell him of her illness.

The Flying Scotsman: A Rail Romance (Monday, BBC2, 9pm). In 1923, LNER Class A3 Pacific steam locomotive No 4472 was completed in Doncaster for the London and North East Railway. It's better known as the Flying Scotsman – arguably the most famous locomotive in the world. This 70-foot long locomotive symbolises all that's great about British engineering. Here, narrator Barbara Flynn explores the nation's love affair with one of our steamiest stars.